Oil rectifier



Dec. 31, 1929. R. L. SKINNER 1,741,432

OIL RECTIFIER Filed May 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T0 FUEL INTAKE or ENG/NE i I Z8 Z9 1 J9 J4 v 4 65 J E Z I I 15 T ENG/NE .4 A

ORA/VA- CASE L KINN'ER 01L RECTIFIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed v 26. 1928 5 of the engine, usually under the action of Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH L. SKINNER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO SKINNER AUTOMOTIVE DEVICE (30., INC, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA OIL RECTIFIER Application filed May 26,

My invention concerns features of betterment in lubricating oil rectifiers, such as are used on internal-combustion engines to reclaim or purify the oil during the operation heat, and, possibly also, under sub-atmospheric pressure, whereby to distil off or vaporize the gasifiable, polluting ingredients of the impure oil, such as gasoline, or other fuel, and water, leaving the oil with suitable lubricating qualities, fitting it for further economical use.

The present invention relates to certain features of construction, the broader invention disclosed constituting the subject-matter of another co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 263,646, filed March 22, 1928.

One object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for preventing the siphoning off of the oil contents of the rectifier upon cessation of operation of the engine, with its resulting stopping of oil feed to such reclaiming appliance.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple means for preventing excessive carbonization of the oil while undergoing the heat treatment incident to its purification.

To permit those trained in this art to fully understand the invention, a present, preferred embodiment of the same has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, and throughout the views of which the same reference numerals have been employed to designate like parts.

In these drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a central, vertical section through the entire appliance, on line 11 of Fig. 2, showing it as mounted upon the engine exhaust-manifold, the'hot gases in which afford the heat necessary for the oil treatment;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig 3 is a fragmentary, vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Having recourse to these drawings, it will be observed that the new appliance includes an outer casing or shell 11 affording an in- 1928. Serial No. 280,738.

ternal chamber or compartment 12, such. main casting of the appliance being mounted on the top of the engine exhaust-manifold 13, into which, through an aperture in its top wall, the lower, bladed portion 15 of a .copper or other highly heat conductive plug 14 projects, the upper, hollow part 16 being externally threaded, as shown in Fig. 1, and having an inner cavity 17 closed by a socalled VVelch plug 18, the presence of such space 17 limiting the cross-sectional heatconductive capacity of the plug at this point.

An open-top, saucer-shaped, copper or other highly heat-conductive vessel 19 is located inside of the chamber 12, and its bottom wall, as well. as its lower extension 21, are screw-threaded to fit over the threaded end of the plug 14:, and, in order to facilitate the application of such vessel to the plug, the top of the bottom wall of the vessel is supplied with a hexagonal cavity or recess 22, into which a suitably-shaped wrench may be fitted to accomplish the desired turning action.

The upper, reduced-diameter portion of the plug 14 extends through a hole 23 in the bottom wall of the casing 11, which is equipped with an internal, annular rib or projection 22, a heat-insulation gasket 24 being interposed between the lower face of the vessel extension 21 and the top surface of the rib 22, a similar gasket 26 being used between the under surface of such rib 22 and the adjacent shoulder 25 of the plug.

The bottom face of the casing 11 bears on 1 another heat-insulation gasket 27, which in turn rests on a centrally-apertured, suitablyshaped, cooling plate 28, the appliance having another heat-insulation washer 29 interposed between the element 28 and the top face of the exhaust-manifold, these various parts being held in proper relation to one another and to the exhaust-manifold in part by screws 32 extended through the enlarged base 31 of the casting 11.

Chamber 12 is covered by a domed cap 33 held on the casting 11 by a number of screws 34:, a gasket 35 being employed between the top edge of the member 11 and the under, marginal surface of the part 33. The center of such cap or cover is connected by a pipe 36 to any suitable source of suction, such as to the fuel intake of the engine, for example, its intake-manifold.

The impure oil to be reclaimed or purified enters the device under pressure through a pipe 37, which may be connected to the oilpressure piping system of the engine, the oil pump of the latter, therefore, feeding oil through the conduit 37 into a chamber 38, and up through a central passage 39 in a screw 40 having a transverse hole 41 communicating with a passage 42 in a substantially-horizontal casting 43 located above the oil-vessel 19 and fastened on an internal ledge 44 of the casting 11 by the screw 40, with suitable, interposed gaskets 45 and 46 between the ledge and the part 43, and between the latter and the head of the screw.

Conduit 42 connectsthrough a cross-hole 47 with a passage 48 in the center of an inclined screw 49 screwed into a suitable, threaded hole in the part 43 and bearing at its lower end against an internal shoulder 51, the lower open end of such cavity 48 constituting a valve-seat for a spring-pressed, conical valve 52, the opening and closing of which is gov erned and controlled by an appropriate thermostat 53 of suitable construction, and depending into and immersed in the oil in vessel 19, the latter, under all circumstances, being full of oil.

The casting 43 has a chamber 54 below the screw 49 and around the valve 52, and pro- I vided with a drain 55 which permits the oil flowing through the passage 48, when the valve 52 is open, to deliver by gravity directly into the lower part of the vessel, from which it overflows into the chamber 12 after being properly heated, and during which operation its vaporizable or gasifiable, obj ectionable constituents are driven off not only under the action of the heat to which the oil is submitted, but also in part due to the partial vacuum in the chamber 12 by reason of the connection of the latter, through the pipe 36, to the fuel-intake of the engine.

In order to prevent siphoning off of the oil contents of vessel 19, when the operation of the intern al-combustion engine and its oil pump ceases with the valve 52 open, chamber 54 is supplied with a suitable bent vent 56, the presence and location-of which prevent the draining of the oil from the conduit 42, 38, 37 from sucking or siphoning off the oil in the vessel by breaking through the vent the suction action necessary to effect such siphoning.

In order that the vacuum imposed in the chamber 12 through the pipe 36 may not increase sufliciently to prevent the gravity delivery of the reclaimed oil, as described hereinafter, the casing 11 is provided with a conduit 57, 58 connecting with a pipe 59 joined to the upper portion of the crank-case of the engine (not shown), whereby some of the gases and vapors of the crank-case are drawn up through the connection 59, 58, 57 into the chamber 12, where they partially satisfy the vacuum and prevent its undue accumulation, and the oily globules entrained in such gases are precipitated in the chamber 12 by reason of their much slower travel due to the greatly-increased cross-section of the compartment 12, and such oil is deposited either in the vessel 19 or in the lower portion of the chamber 12.

In order to prevent excessive carbonization of the oil undergoing treatment, it is desirable to have the outer surface of the vessel 19 covered with oil, as well as its inner surface, and accordingly the chamber 12 is provided with an upright passage 61 having walls 62 and 63, the top edges of which are substantially on the level of the top of the vessel 19,

and the oil in chamber 12 may overflow over such wall at that level into the passage 61, which connects with a conduit 64, 65 joined to the engine crank-case, whereby the overflowing, reclaimed oil flows down into the oil su )ply in such crank-case.

hen the engine first starts operation, and its oil, as well as that in the rectifier, is cold, it is desirable that an excessive quantity of such oil shall not be present, at that time, in the oil-purifying device, and accordingly the wall 63 is provided with a perforation 66 well below the tops of the walls 62 and 63, and of such caliber or bore that during the normal operation of the appliance it cannot discharge as much oil as overflows from the vessel 19, so that the latter is always immersed in a surrounding body of oil to its full depth.

When the engine, however, is stopped, so that the overflow from vessel 19 ceases, all of the oil above the aperture 66 will then drain off slowly, through such perforation, back into the crank-case, and, When the engine is started, it will not be necessary for the heating device to heat as much oil as it would otherwise before the oil is raised to such a temperature that the valve 52 opens.

As soon as the valve 52 opens and the oil overflows in usual measure from the receptacle 19, the chamber 12 will fill up with oil to the level of the tops of the walls 62 and 63, but not higher than that, because any excess will discharge down through the conduit 61.

The invention, therefore, has three primary characteristics, the first being the vent 56, which assures that the vessel 19 will always be full of oil, second, the surrounding of such vessel with a body of oil under normal run ning conditions, and, third, the draining of at least a portion of such surrounding oil after the operation of the device ceases, so as to restrict and limit the amount of oil which must be heated before the thermostat opens the controlling valve.

Various changes may be made in the structure illustrated and described Without departure from the substance of the invention as presented in the appended claims, and Without the loss of any material benefits which accrue from the employment of such invention.

I claim:

1. In an oil-rectifier for internal-combustion engines, the combination ofa casing providing a chamber, an open oil-vessel in said chamber, means to heat said. Vessel by the heat of the engine, a conduit extending up over and having a downturned portion to feed oil into said vessel below the oil level maintained therein, a valve in said conduit, a thermostat subjected to the temperature of the oil in said Vessel governing the opening and closing of said valve, a vent for said conduit to said chamber on the delivery side of said valve to prevent syphoning off of the contents of said vessel when said oil feed to said vessel ceases With said valve open, means to remove the gases and vapors driven off from the oil from said chamber,and means to deliver the purified oil from the rectifier.

2. In an oil-rectifier for internal-combustion engines, the combination of a casing providing a chamber, an open-top oil-vessel in said chamber, means to heat said vessel, means to admit oil into said vessel which overflows therefrom into said chamber, the latter having an oil-delivery port at a level approximately the same as the top of said oil-vessel to keep said vessel substantially entirely immersed in the oil in said chamber, and means to remove the gases and vapors driven off from said oil from said chamber.

3. In an oil-rectifier for internal-combustion engines, the combination of a casing providing a chamber, an open-top oil-vessel in said chamber heat-insulated from said casing, means to heat said vessel, means vto admit oil into said vessel which overflows therefrom into said chamber, the latter having an oildelivery port at a level approximately the same as the top of said oil vessel to keep said vessel substantially entirely immersed in the oil in said chamber, and means to remove the gases and vapors driven off from said oil from said chamber.

4:. In an oil-rectifier for internal-combustion engines, the combination of a casing providing a chamber, an open-top oil-vessel in said chamber, means to heat said vessel, means to admit oil into said vessel which overflows therefrom into said chamber, the latter having an oil-delivery port approximately on a level With the top of said Vessel and an oildrain lower than said delivery-port and of a sufficiently reduced capacity to cause oil during the normal operation of the rectifier to be maintained in said chamber around said vessel up to a level with said port and to overflow therethrough, said drain drawing off the chamber oil above it immersing said oil-vessel upon cessation of oil feed into said vessel,

whereby upon reestablishment of the operation of the rectifier a reduced quantity of oil will require initial heating, and means to remove from said chamber the gases and vapors driven off from the oil.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH L. SKINNER. 

